LA VISTA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Securities America hosted its annual conference June 9-12, in Washington, D.C. Focused on the company's initiatives in the areas of technology, retirement income distribution, business growth and ease of doing business, the conference offered more than 80 educational sessions and attracted nearly 1,000 attendees.

"Now is the time to think ahead about your marketing, revenue growth, technology and people," President and CEO Jim Nagengast told advisors in his opening remarks. "Thinking ahead is about having vision, about having a spirit of hope and achievement, and cascading it forward. We help you achieve your visions for your practice, your family, your staff and your clients. You in turn help your family, your staff and your clients achieve their visions. And they are paying that forward to the people they touch in their lives."

Dick Lampen, CEO and president of Securities America's parent company, Ladenburg Thalmann, said Ladenburg continues to focus on broadening the scope of differentiated products and services we provide our network of independent advisors.

"We are pleased with the positive reception and strong uptake by advisors of the Ladenburg Thalmann programs and services," Lampen said. "Our mission is to create and support a best of breed and unique platform for our advisors. Ladenburg's focus for 2013 includes continuing to grow in business in terms of revenue and cash flows, to further improve our platform for our advisors and to continue collaboration between the Ladenburg companies."

Conference keynote speakers included:

Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and host of The Huckabee Show on the FOX News Channel, shared insights and experiences from the American political system.

Sanjiv Mirchandani, president of National Financial Services, presented his view on industry trends and changes, and how advisors might look in the future - Advisor 2.0. NFS Research shows team advisors have higher revenue and higher customer satisfaction. He said advisors should consider the virtues of teaming and that successful teams begin with a clear agreement on what happens if a member leaves.

Dr. David Kelly, chief global strategist and head of the global market insights strategy team for J.P. Morgan Funds, provided valuable perspective on the economy and markets.

Daniel Pink, a leading sales skills expert and best-selling author whose latest book, To Sell Is Human, discussed advances in the art and science of persuading, influencing and moving others.

Faith Popcorn, trend forecaster, author and founder of Faith Popcorn's Brain Reserve, Futurist Marketing Consultancy, shared insights on how advisors can prepare for the transfer of money to women and how to better serve the financial needs of single, non-married households. She suggested male advisors train their wives on how to promote their husband's business to their network of women friends.

Two of Securities America's biggest thought leadership initiatives over the years have been its hybrid advisory platform and income distribution solutions. Pre-conference workshops allowed extra time to delve into these topics. The Advisor Directed Asset Management workshop focused on advisory programs and investment management tools that can make an advisor's practice more scalable and efficient while lowering your risk and liability. The NextPhase™ University: Focus on Retirement Income workshop highlighted new technology enhancements to the NextPhase™ platform and best practice ideas from an expert advisor panel on enhancing income distribution business.

A third pre-conference session, Social Media: Building an Effective Marketing Presence, featured Matthew Halloran, co-author of The Social Media Handbook for Financial Advisors: How to Use Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn to Build and Grow Your Business. Halloran helped advisors learn how to make the most of the opportunities social media platforms present for building a bigger, stronger client base, including how to compliantly set up a Twitter account, Facebook business page and optimized LinkedIn profile. Securities America provides thought leadership on technology trends including the use of social media for business purposes, and provides its advisors access to social media training, support and references to third-party vendors.

For the fifth consecutive year, the conference included the Super Women's Summit Luncheon, hosted by Janine Wertheim, Securities America Advisors president. With 75 women in attendance, this year's luncheon featured Amy Florian, author and speaker on how to better serve clients during the toughest times of life.

"Clients don't want an advisor who just handles their money," Florian said. "They want an advisor who understands their life."

About Securities AmericaHeadquartered in La Vista, Neb., Securities America Inc. is a national top 10 independent broker-dealer (as ranked by Financial Planning magazine). For more than 25 years, Securities America's mission has been to foster the success of financial professionals so they can provide quality, objective counsel and services to their clients. Advisors benefit from the firm's industry-leading programs in practice management, advisory services and retirement income distribution, supported by state-of-the-art technology. Founded in 1993, Securities America Advisors Inc. is an SEC-Registered Investment Advisory firm that offers investment management, financial advice and financial planning through a national network of independent financial advisors. Securities America Financial Corp. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ladenburg Thalmann Financial Services Inc. (NYSE MKT: LTS). Securities America received the inaugural Thought Leadership Award from the Retirement Income Industry Association in March 2011 and the inaugural Bank Insurance & Securities Association (BISA) Technology Innovation Award in March 2013. Additional information is available at www.securitiesamerica.com.